Shimon and Talia's trip to the Edinburgh Fringe festival this week quickly turned into a hate-fuelled nightmare after the pair unexpectedly found themselves at the centre of an anti-Semitism row.
They had come to Britain for a romantic holiday and some much needed respite from the horrors at home.
Not even as they tried to make their escape – with Talia supporting her disabled husband up the stairs past the crowd with the help of a theatre usher – did the abuse stop. Their 'crime'? They'd objected – politely – to a rather lame joke at Israel's expense, in which the comedian compared the country to an abused wife who was also an abuser herself.
Awarding it one star, Cavendish described it as 'the most unpleasant comedy gig' he'd ever attended. Had he not been there, the incident could well have been swept under the carpet and surely forgotten. The couple, who are in their 50s and were both born in England, told me in an exclusive interview that initially they had no intention of reporting what happened to authorities or sharing their story with the world.
'You do not know for certain that Jews will always be safe in the UK,' Shimon says. 'No matter how much they might love Britain, Jews in this country will always have that mental backpack packed in case they need to flee.' They were unaware that Hunter had been accused of anti-Semitism at the 2006 Fringe for carelessly joking about the Holocaust – or that he had separately come under fire for alleged misogyny and use of the N-word.
About midway through his performance, Hunter came out with 'that' gag, saying he'd recently seen a Channel 5 documentary about an abusive wife who accuses her husband of abuse, remarking: 'It's like being married to Israel.' According to the couple, he then raised his fists in a mock fighting stance and told them he'd meet them outside. 'Where are the boys?' he then laughed as the audience roared with approval.
Talia also refused to let the bullies win. In an incredible show of bravery, she stood up from her seat and turned around to face the crowd. For more than five minutes the crowd – conducted by Hunter – booed, hissed and jeered until Shimon and Talia finally decided they had no choice but to leave. 'No one stood up for us,' says Talia. 'What has happened to people in the UK that means they are not prepared to stand up against bullying?'Even when it become clear that Shimon was disabled and it would take him several minutes to leave, no restraint was shown.
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